The Canadian government on Thursday unveiled its first national climate change adaptation strategy, which calls for investments and new building standards to “protect communities and build a strong economy,” AFP reported.

A total of C$1.6 billion (€1.1 billion) will be invested, most of it over five years, to help municipalities and communes finance flood-resilient public infrastructure and better inform Canadians with new flood maps and more accurate climatic data.

“Climate change affects every community in Canada,” said Bill Blair, emergency preparedness minister for Prince Edward Island, a province that was hit hard by Hurricane Fiona in late September.

Fiona, named the costliest storm to hit the Atlantic region ($660 million in damage), is just a glimpse of future costs, according to the government, which expects annual damage from natural disasters to reach $15.4 billion by 2030.

“In recent years, not only in Canada, but globally, we have seen an increase in the frequency and severity of weather events,” the minister added, citing floods, wildfires and heat waves that have affected Canada.

With nearly 70 measures in place, the federal government hopes to reduce disaster costs by setting “clear adaptation goals and objectives.” According to Ottawa, every dollar invested should save up to $15.

New building standards against floods and fires alone could save up to $4.7 billion a year, says the government, which also cites urban forests created in recent years in the nation’s largest city, Toronto.

According to the government, which plans to create 15 new urban parks in the country by 2030, these green spaces should reduce air conditioning costs, improve air quality and reduce pressure on stormwater infrastructure.

In particular, the federal government has set specific goals that will be “refined as necessary.” It wants to ensure that by 2025, 60% of Canadians are aware of the natural disaster risks their homes face, that by 2030 30% of land and water is conserved to halt biodiversity loss, and that by 2040, all deaths from extreme heat are eliminated . was liquidated.

The NGO Greenpeace called the strategy an “important step forward,” while the Insurance Bureau of Canada, which represents various private insurance companies, called it “bold and ambitious” and called for the rest of society to follow suit.

The new plan, which builds on $8 billion invested since 2009, is now open for comment from provinces, territories and national aboriginal organizations for three months.

The issue of adapting societies to climate change was hotly debated at COP27, which ended last week in Egypt, because of a highly controversial text on aid to poor countries affected by climate change, but also because of the failure to set new ambitions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. .

South Africa highlighted its disappointment with the failure to “realise the global adaptation target”.